Getting Started with LEAN

You’ve read the books, been to the classes, and have seen and heard what others have done with LEAN.  Now you’re ready.  You’ve looked at your organization with a new eye and now you’re literally tripping over all of the unnecessary waste and the opportunities to create greater customer value.   It’s time to get started on a LEAN journey, but how/where do you take that crucial first step? 

An organization new to LEAN can behave as if they are entering a candy store for the first time.  Each bin holds another enticing opportunity for happier customers, more satisfied employees, and greater profits.  It can almost be too distracting.  Take on too much at once and suffer from overindulgence.  Choose one at a time and loose patience with the slow progress.  Believe it’s there just waiting for the taking and become frustrated by getting nothing. 

Getting started with LEAN means not only knowing what to do, but how to do it.  The best way to go about LEAN depends on different cultural and operational factors of an organization.  Occurring with too much variation to describe here.  But once these factors are identified, the options for taking that first step on a LEAN journey are described below:

• Bottom-up vs. Top-down
  • A bottom-up approach is a grass-root effort that engages employees to identify and reduce wastes.  This “empowerment” takes little management overhead.  Train employees, approve waste reductions, and turn them loose.
  • Top-down is a strategic approach to LEAN improvements.  System-wide current and future state maps are created and initiatives to achieve the future state are identified and prioritized.  Because these initiatives tend to be system-wide, cross-function teams are required for their execution.

• Projects vs. Workshops
  • Most organizations are familiar with the traditional project management approach to executing an initiative.  Which is an advantage.  Note however that project management functions are non-value added.  On their own they do not increase customer value.
  • An alternative is to reduce project management overhead using a defined workshop approach.  All workshop events for an initiative are planned in advance and then executed to consolidate information, make decisions, and manage milestones.  Planned workshops formalize a structure to manage an initiative without the overhead of traditional project management.

• Contiguous vs. Intervals
  • Contiguous projects/workshops occur every day without interruption until finished.  Kaizen workshops or permanently staffed projects are examples of contiguous initiative driven events.  Contiguous events can accomplish objectives quickly but require dedicated resources.  They also feel more like a sprint than a long distance race; when LEAN’s highest rewards go to those in it for the long haul.
  • Staging events at planned intervals can be just as effective as contiguous.  It’s important that not too much time elapses between intervals and that each event shows visible progress.  A 5 day contiguous Kaizen workshop spread across two to three weeks can achieve the same results with less impact, albeit taking longer to achieve the same benefits.

• One-and-done vs. Continuous improvement
  • Initiatives have a start and a finish.  An organization can target an initiative at one point-of-pain and then feel the relief when it’s done.   And then wait for the next point-of-pain to grow large enough to justify launching another initiative dart at it.
  • A continuous improvement approach recognizes there are endless improvement opportunities.  Continuous means continuous, therefore a systematic never-ending program is adopted for making things better every day.  Initiatives are identified, prioritized, and executed to maximize value and avoid a significant point-of-pain from ever developing.

• Internal Staff vs. Consultants
  • Making improvements requires people.  Not only the people to create it, but also the people to learn and accept the necessary changes.  An organization must make internal investments in its people to improve.  LEAN is not a free ride.
  • The return on LEAN investment made by an organization may be accelerated through the use of outside consultants.  Consultants can be the catalysts to launch and sustain a LEAN journey by acquiring their expertise, training, and momentum to keep things on track and rolling through both good times and bad.

During different times different paths can make the most sense in a LEAN journey.  What may be appropriate for getting started may require adjustment along the way.  Knowing the various paths to LEAN helps avoid just choosing the first path found.   So pick from the paths above and get started with LEAN.